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(IBT) Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly has been involved in a post-divorce custody battle for the better part of two years, and the animosity between O’Reilly and his ex-wife Maureen McPhilmy appears to have reached a boiling point. Gawker Media even alleges that O’Reilly is dragging the Catholic Church into the mess.

According to reports from Gawker, O’Reilly has been going to extreme lengths to punish his ex-wife, including barring McPhilmy from accepting communion at her Long Island Catholic church.

The whole saga plays out like this: In 2010, O’Reilly and McPhilmy separated, moving to separate houses on Long Island before obtaining an official divorce in 2011. Since that time, McPhilmy has remarried a Nassau County detective and she and O’Reilly agreed to share alternating custody of their children, now 10 and 13.

But the O’Reilly divorce drama hasn’t stopped there. As a result of their separation, courts declared that O’Reilly and McPhilmy would both be served by a therapist to “act as a neutral mediator to help them resolve any parenting disputes,” according to Gawker. Despite this court-mandated order, O’Reilly stacked the deck in his favor and soon put the Long Island-based therapist Lynne Kulakowski on his payroll, as brought to light in a 2011 lawsuit against O’Reilly. His lawyer did not deny these charges in court.

But the real evidence that O’Reilly’s divorce battle has become extremely toxic is the involvement of the Catholic Church. Gawker alleges that O’Reilly has made repeated attempts to have McPhilmy banned from partaking in communion at her local Catholic parish. Writer John Cook also insinuates that O’Reilly has been using financial donations and a friendly relationship with Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York to have his way. [more]

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21 Comments

All I know is that we all need to pray for all involved. Divorces can be prevented if both husband & wife truly live an authentic sacramental life. What a witness to the world if this were truly practiced!

Jackie says “if a Catholic remarries without an annulment they are barred from communion based on a adulterous relationship” More backwards Catholic B.S. Lots of rules and limitations and no Catholics live by them. Can’t take communion but priests, bishops and cardinals can practice homosexuality—with children? Here’s a idea, get a Protestant church and a close relationship with Christ and tell the pope and his corrupt church to get lost!

anita:I an not sorry to tell you, but you are behind on what is going on in the New order church. In 1967 there were 300 “annulments” In 1998 30.000. This means, Yes Anita the New church accepted divorce!!!

Why would a Catholic publication report info coming from a soft porn, Christian hating, ultra liberal site like Gawker. Have you no morals? Of course they want to make O’Reily look bad. There is alot more to this story than is being reported by this sorry excuse for a news site.

Divorce(Annulment)is not allowed in the Holy Roman Catholic Church.They are still married,till death. If they start a relation ship they commit fornication and they will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Sorry, upi are wrong Old Francis. A divorced Catholic can submit their former marriage to a church Tribunal to determine if there was an impediment in the marriage and in that case there would be an annulment.

Since when Has Mr. O”reilly become the ‘conscience’ police’?
It is not his duty to demand his ex not receive. If the marriage was not annuled, she may not receive..it is her conscience…but how does he know?

Bill is right she should not be receiving communion if she did not annul her marriage and remarried in the church. She is creating scandal and a sacrilege to the body of Christ.
Those of you who do not know the doctrine of the True Catholic Church should stay out and keep your mouths shut. I also blame the liberal clergy for not enforcing the law of the church. If you don’t like the doctrine of the Catholic Church your are free to join the hundreds of others who condones your lifestyle. The Catholic Church doesn’t force anyone to stay or join it.

If by chance Bill’s ex wife has remarried without obtaining an annulment from the Catholic Church, she in fact should not be receiving communion, but if she did get an annulment and remarried in the Church she is free to receive. Any pastor who knows the particulars of the situation would be free to deny her communion at his discretion.

Nothing like a crazed hatefilled Irishman. Hopefully the Marist are praying for this guy, his ex-wife,children, and all who endure his torture.His lawyer will not even comment–smart lawyer dumb client.

While one never knows how much of public persona is just for entertainment purposes, it is curious as to why he would care whether or not his ex-wife can receive communion. Perhaps he is truly a controlling, “revengeful” sort of chap, since his insensitive, interfering actions here seem to rule out an understanding or forgiving nature.